


Learn To Fly (Again)

by Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: And Make Them Happy, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Even If Other People Try To Interfere, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), IMBB, Implied/Referenced Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Past Torture, M/M, Physical Disability, Self-Esteem Issues, Steve Being Overprotective Of Bucky, They'll Give Them To One Another, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Just Wants to Help People, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Touch-Starved, Wanda Maximoff Redemption, Which Does Not Make Things Easier For Him, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-20 09:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18989800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eirlyssa/pseuds/Iron_Eirlyssa
Summary: When Tony met Bucky Barnes for the first time, his attention was drawn to the broken wing on his left side, making it impossible for him to fly. Of course, that was the exact moment he decided he was going to help somehow. He never expected for it to develop into being more, but although it isn’t always easy, he can’t bring himself to regret it.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The prologue for my IMBB fic, and a brief teaser before I post the rest. There will also be frankly _**amazing**_ art by the wonderful, awesome, talented [Kurisu](https://kurisu-80.tumblr.com/). I really hope you enjoy this, and are excited to see the rest of it!

Before Afghanistan, Tony never flew. There were some theories as to why, but he mostly just shrugged and grinned and said that there were few things he was willing to spend a lot of energy on. The grin on his face made it abundantly clear what he meant. It wasn't uncommon, truly, for the elite to shun flying. They had money - they could pay for others to transport them without making the effort. Tony fit perfectly, rich from birth and unwilling to put in too much effort unless he had to or was getting something out of it. Not to mention there were far more interesting things to write and theorize about, such as his conquests and his alcohol intake.

After Afghanistan, he became known for being Iron Man, flying around the world to try and undo the weapons spread around. It silenced the rumors of a fear of heights, and if Tony was very careful to make it seem as though the armor was doing all of the work and he was just lazily inside it, no one knew the difference.

The palladium poisoning made things worse for a while, his already limited energy sapped even further, but he made sure not to let on. If he let anyone see his weaknesses, they’d descend like vultures. It had always been that way, and getting older hadn’t made it better.

As far as he knew, Natasha with her gorgeous (and suspiciously non-expressive) red and black wings had never noticed anything odd about his tendency not to fly. He knew how to keep up his defenses, after all, even when not at his best. Tony Stark had been raised in the public eye, nothing kept private. Friends had betrayed him often enough that his trust wasn’t easily gained, and there were things he didn’t even trust Rhodey with. Experienced spy or no, Natasha didn’t stand a chance, not in the limited time SHIELD had given her.

When he read through the profile, torn between laughing and sneering, he couldn’t help but be relieved. They knew more about him than he was comfortable with, but none of the secrets he truly didn’t want them to know.

Meeting the Avengers was an experience and a half. Captain America brought up hero worship and terrible memories, which had Tony on the defensive from the get-go. And a defensive Tony was prickly and annoying and ruffled wings both figuratively and sometimes literally and chased off anyone who didn’t know him better (and sometimes even those who did). Natasha clearly wasn’t any more impressed with him than she had been that first time. Clint Barton was interesting and fun to be around but close to Natasha, which kind of soured their relationship at the start. Thor was alien in a lot of ways, but Tony respected him - though it was odd to see the wings made out of electricity instead of the feathers everyone on Earth possessed. Meeting Bruce, however, whose brown and green wings were ragged, missing quite a few of his feathers, and unable to sustain flight, was like a dream come true. Given half a chance, he’d have loved to spend years talking with the other scientist, learning and teaching in turn and finally feeling like he didn’t have to hold back.

All in all, he was glad he’d managed to convince them to move into the Tower when everything was said and done. Thor was only there occasionally, splitting his time between Asgard, the Tower and spending time with his Lady Jane. Tony just grinned and had some new equipment delivered to Dr. Foster’s lab.

It took getting used to, living with so many others in one space. When he’d been a child, most of his time had been spent on his own or with somewhat distant servants, Jarvis the only exception. In college, most wouldn’t get close to him in any sense except the physical unless they wanted something from him, which had been a hard-learned lesson. Since then, he’d lived with the bots and JARVIS, with only Pepper and Rhodey (and Obie, but he’d prefer to ignore that part) occasionally coming by.

His space had been all his, and he’d been so very lonely. But he couldn’t trust people, not really.

Now, there were other people. He found them sitting at the bar eating breakfast together, found them doing their own thing in the living room, found them coming down to his lab to invite him to join them. Sometimes, they even went on flock flights together, Tony in the Iron Man armor and Bruce carried by his constantly alternating teammates.

As they got to know one another better, there were even times where they sat in the living room together, Tony’s luxurious oils spread out, and groomed one another’s wings.

Head tilted forward, Tony enjoyed the sensation of Bruce’s fingers gently straightening brown and red feathers. Rhodey sometimes groomed him, and Pepper before they had broken things off, but he’d always loved being touched so gently, so carefully. Like he mattered. Even now, a hug could get him to melt into a puddle. It was a weakness, but fortunately not one that was all that noticeable. As much as they had gotten closer, the Avengers weren’t always the most tactile bunch - Natasha and Clint touched one another furtively, as if confirming the other was still there, and Thor and Steve clasped one another firmly and reassuringly. But Bruce was hesitant to touch or be touched, and no one really tried to touch Tony outside of grooming sessions.

Although they got to know one another better over time, and although they helped one another out during problems they had, Tony never quite felt like he was part of the group. Not really. Maybe it was the way Steve seemed uncomfortable around him, wings tense and pulled back, or the way Natasha still looked at him as though he were a mark to manipulate rather than the friendship she showed the others, or the way Clint’s jokes seemed just a bit more mean, a bit more _meant_ when they were about him… It was all of it, or maybe nothing at all.

Still, Tony refused to give up. He provided them with a place to live that he hoped they would be able to call home (even as he worked on another facility, because having the Avengers here might be good in some ways, but it put his employees at some risk, too - he’d personally paid for any of them who wished to be transferred to another Stark Industries building). He provided them with food, with entertainment, with new gear, and he still felt as though he was trying to prove that he wasn’t the same neglectful person who hadn’t kept out a careful enough eye and had trusted the wrong people because it was exhausting to care and he just wanted to feel good for once (although he never did, not really).

Out of all of them, Bruce was the one he was closest to. They didn’t talk about anything detailed, not really. It was easy to tell how sensitive the man was about his private life, about the damage done to his wings that made it so he’d never be able to fly with them (a combination of his father and Bruce’s own stress, Tony knew, though he knew better than to mention it out loud).

But Tony had noticed how he lit up when the others took him out to fly, being carried by Steve, Thor or Tony in the armor, and he _wondered_. And as anyone who knew him could attest, when he wondered, he created. It was on and off, in between fights alongside the other Avengers and his work for Stark Industries and consulting for SHIELD (until Steve dealt with them and then Tony had another job of making sure as few innocent people as possible were hurt by the data dump) (and then there were the flashbacks and the panic attacks and the nightmares, but hey, not sleeping just meant he had more time to work on other things). In all, his project for Bruce was something he did to the side, but the anticipated happiness was more than enough to make it worth his efforts.

When he finally had something to offer, he went up to Bruce with it. “They’re wing covers of sorts - they should compensate for the feathers, if you’ve got the muscle to use them,” he explained, trying not to hit any more sensitive spots than necessary.

Fortunately, Bruce mostly seemed astonished. “Wait, you made this… for me?”

“You’re my science bro, right?” It took some effort, but Tony thought he’d managed to keep from sounding too vulnerable. He just wanted Bruce to be happy.

“I… yeah…” He was still staring at the wing covers - Tony had made them brown, unsure whether adding in green like in Bruce’s actual wings would be an unpleasant reminder of the Hulk. Talking to Bruce was sometimes an exercise in being careful not because of the Hulk, but because he knew Bruce hadn’t had a pleasant past and Tony didn’t want to remind him of it. “Can I… try them?”

“Of course! Try them in the gym, it’s meant for practice, and let me know what needs to be improved, if anything.” Considering they were covers, they should enhance Bruce’s own motions. The biggest challenge had been making them comfortable and lightweight, but sturdy enough to hold a person up in the air without breaking.

For the first time in a long while, Tony genuinely smiled as he watched Bruce soar through the air. He’d never seen the other man this happy, or free.

By the time Bruce landed, Tony had sat down to watch instead, trying to imprint the moment in his memories. The moments where he truly felt he was making a difference, the moments where he felt like he was doing something _good_ for someone else, were rare enough that he wanted to be able to remember this. Maybe, just maybe, his next nightmare wouldn’t be so bad.

Before he could test that theory, however, Steve was knocking on the door to the gym. “Come on, team meeting - there’s another possible lead on Loki’s scepter.” He’d been going after HYDRA ever since finding out SHIELD had been infiltrated, often to the exclusion of everything else. Tony had even noticed that his friendship with Natasha had started to fray some with his distraction, and she was usually the one he was closest to.

And off to work he was again. After this, he determined, he’d need to take some time off.

“Alright, this is a map of the area. The base is located in Sokovia…”


	2. Take What Was Wrong (Make It Right)

When she had joined the Avengers, Wanda had never expected that the one person she would grow closest to would be _Tony Stark_ , of all people. For so long, she’d blamed him for everything that went badly in her life, and now it was odd to have been snapped out of that. Odd, and disconcerting (and terribly confronting).

She would’ve expected friendships with _any_ of the others more than with Tony, and yet. Steve spent a lot of time with his long-lost friend, to the exclusion of everyone else, and spent the rest of his time with Sam or Natasha. Natasha… well, she was polite, and nice, but she really wasn’t close to anyone except Clint and she didn’t want to be. Clint himself spent a lot of time with his family, only coming by the Compound every once in a while, and things were somewhat awkward between them still because of Pietro. Vision was young and ancient at the same time, his wingless back almost more alien than his skin, and he spent a lot of his time learning _everything_ about the world, still. Rhodey and Sam spent a lot of their time together, and neither of them seemed entirely comfortable around her either. Whenever Rhodey was off fulfilling his obligations to the military, Sam spent his time with Steve instead.

Tony, though… She’d seen the way he dealt with the entire situation with Barnes, considering Steve had told him about it right after she’d joined the team. While she wasn’t entirely sure on the specifics of why, she knew Steve had known for a while that Barnes had killed Tony’s parents.

The parallels to her own situation were there, though different (less, in some ways - Tony had not strangled _her_ mother to death or beaten _her_ father’s face in). It was clear that Steve had been terrified that Tony would react emotionally, hunting his friend down and murdering him (the way Wanda had tried to take Tony down, though more direct).

But Tony had removed himself for a while, before returning with a small piece of paper carrying an address.

Steve had taken Natasha and Sam, and they had returned with a terrified man that had once been the Winter Soldier. And while it was clear Tony hadn’t been comfortable with him for a while, he hadn’t hurt him, hadn’t even glared at him. Whenever the two of them were close, she could still feel echoes of the pain he was feeling (even though his face and wings gave nothing away), but he never took that out on the man Steve called Bucky.

It had been the final drop for Wanda, who had secluded herself for a few days while she did some deep thinking.

Afterwards, she had asked for an appointment with Tony, not wishing to push her presence onto him if he didn’t want her around (which would have been fair - she had messed with his mind, resulting in fractures in the team that still hadn’t healed). But he had accepted, and they’d had a very long talk.

To her surprise, he didn’t quite blame her for her resentment. The man she thought he had been would not have accepted her actions, would probably not have accepted _her_. But instead, she had found someone who understood what it was like to make mistakes, mistakes that sometimes had terrible consequences. And he talked to her about making up for them, rather than hiding under the protective wings of the Avengers and behind his team of lawyers, though he made it very clear that it was her choice, and that it would _not_ be easy if she decided to go public, and that he would not blame her if she didn’t. But Wanda knew that, if she _truly_ wanted to start making up for things, it was necessary.

When she’d talked to the others about it, they had been worried. Steve had asked her if she was very sure she wanted to do this. The media could be ruthless, and the world cruel. He told her that she was doing better now, that the Avengers knew and that they had forgiven her and that she was working to make up for what she’d done. “Are you very, _very_ sure you want to open yourself up to everything the world will be saying of you?”

He’d even worried that Tony had pushed her to do this, since he was currently shouldering all of the blame for Ultron, though she corrected that notion quickly.

His feelings towards Tony were complicated, had always been. Even without actively using her powers, and with using the shielding Tony had found her a teacher for, Wanda picked up emotions unintentionally. There was a wild tangle of them, whenever the Captain thought about the genius, and Wanda wasn’t sure she even wanted to try to unravel them.

Instead, she’d only explained that regret alone wasn’t enough, her wings hanging low and her voice strained, and that _she_ was the one who wanted to make up for things. It devolved into a long discussion about regret, and what to do with it. Steve had worried that she was letting regret drag her down. After making sure that she knew what to expect, much like Tony had before, he had nodded, though.

“If you’re really certain you want to do this, then we’ll support you. It’s going to be difficult, but remember this: you chose to be _better_ than you were before. They’re going to be angry about what you did, but that is no longer the person you are.”

None of it had been easy. The world was angry, justifiably so - she had been the one who had sent the Hulk into Johannesburg, the one who had assisted Ultron in South Africa and South Korea, both. And while they were willing to accept that the Avengers could deal with their own trauma and enemies, the same was not the case for everyone else she’d hurt.

But the others had helped her out, Steve and the rest assuring her that those mistakes were her _past_. Tony had assisted in different ways, working with her on ways to show the rest of the world that she regretted it. The both of them, though the UN had declared the actual _creation_ of Ultron an accident caused by too many factors to blame any single one of them, travelled to Sokovia to help with the rebuilding.

Working beside him, she had gotten to know the man behind the armor that he showed most of the world. Facing the accusations of multiple of her countrymen alongside Tony was a bonding experience she could’ve done without, but she understood their anger all too well. It helped that she wasn’t alone, trying to atone for what her decisions had caused, however unintentionally.

She also got to know Tony’s generosity, though he shrugged it off whenever she tried to thank him, wings rustling ever-so-slightly. Aside from the necessities, aside from the fact that he gave them all a home to live in and a base to work from, he did so much more. After discussing everything with her, he got her an education, which had become unimportant to her after the loss of her parents, as well as tutors in both regular subjects and her powers. They didn’t usually have the same powers, but it was similar enough that she learned control, as well as the proper ways to use her powers. It helped that she wasn’t the only one - not only were there countless mutants who were learning, but Vision joined in for quite a bit of it as well.

Overall, it helped the world to see that she really _was_ trying to do better, and people started accepting her more. It helped, she noticed, that she was relatively young and attractive. Between her and Tony, despite the fact that he had no more fault in Ultron than she did - had even fought on the _right_ side all along - she was the one forgiven way more quickly.

That was also noticeable with the other Avengers, who still seemed hesitant to believe that he wasn’t to blame. Tony himself shrugged it off, but it was all very unfair and made her wings puff up whenever she thought about it too much. She wondered if part of it wasn’t the fact that they didn’t want to have been _wrong_ to blame him. From her own experience, she knew it was a painful realization that you had done someone wrong unfairly, and one of the things Tony (as well as the professors at Xavier’s Institute) were very insistent on was recognizing and acknowledging mistakes, since there were few things more dangerous than thinking you were flawless.

In all, it meant that she spent a lot of time with Tony, whenever she wasn’t learning more about her powers or about the world.

The first time she realized she was starting to think of him almost as a father figure, she couldn’t help panicking. There wasn’t really anyone she could ask about it, though. The ones she were closest to were Tony, who was involved, and Vision, who was still young (and dealing with his own conflicting feelings towards Tony, she knew). So she tried one of the exercises she had learned at the Institute, juggling an increasing amount of marbles with her powers so she would focus on that instead of thinking too much.

When she was calm again, she revised the thought into ‘mentor’ and decided that would be it ~~even though she knew she was lying to herself~~ (she just couldn’t handle more, yet, at least not the idea of it).

So she kept spending time with him, visiting the Tower regularly and getting to know the man behind the monster she’d always thought he was. And when she got more busy, spending time with lessons on both her powers and on general subjects that school should have taught her but hadn’t, Tony came to visit her at the compound instead.

Some of the days he was there, they spent going over her homework, with Tony explaining anything that needed explaining and gently tutoring her, all the while making sure that she knew this absolutely did _not_ mean that she was stupid or a failure. Considering some of it seemed so _basic_ that she should’ve known already, Wanda was more than grateful for that effort. There were times she honestly felt like an idiot, and completely unprepared for the world. But Tony never let her wallow in it, instead grinning at her and telling her that knowing the mitochondria was the powerhouse of the cell wouldn’t be the most valuable of information in the long run, either. Then, he’d give her some of the lessons that she _would_ , in fact, need in the long term, explaining taxes and teaching her how to cook - he did great at Italian, British and Hungarian dishes, though he confessed he didn’t know much more without asking FRIDAY for a recipe, either. (She loved the times where Vision joined them as well, experimenting in the kitchen together and feeling like a family.)

On other days, they just relaxed together, watching movies or playing games. Tony was very insistent that she should have some downtime as well, to make sure that she knew how to relax.

In Sokovia, there hadn’t been a lot of time to genuinely relax, which was another part of why she was so grateful for it. Always, even in the slower moments, there had been an uncertainty, an unrest, a _fear_ , that none of them had ever been able to shake. Sokovia had been in a permanent state of upheaval for as long as she could remember, after all. (There was something very painful about the fact that only now, after Ultron, it was settling down and becoming the country it always should have been.)

“What is it supposed to be?” Tony asked her with a playful grin, looking at her sad knitting attempt when he walked in.

She mock-scowled at him, puffing her wings up in a fake attempt to appear threatening. “ _Practice_ ,” she huffed. There was no way she was going to admit that it was just supposed to be a basic scarf. “Professor Grey thought it would be good practice for my concentration, as well as something fun to do. It’s… not turning out great, though.”

No doubt noticing the slight frown on her face, Tony sat next to her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Well, first tries hardly ever do. But once you’ve got the basics, you’ll keep getting better.” The two of them knew one another pretty well by now, so it was very likely that he knew that she kind of wanted to give up on this and try something else. “Let’s be honest, cooking didn’t always succeed at first, either, right? Try two more times, and if it’s not working, or if you’re hating by then, do something that makes you happier. But don’t give up ‘till you’ve tried three times. Third time’s the charm, after all.” He winked at her, playfully, and she couldn’t help her answering smile.

“Alright. But you are getting the failed tries,” she joked.

To her astonishment, he actually seemed _happy_ about that, wings rustling behind him even though they didn’t unfold and a genuine smile growing on his face. “Anything you make me, I’d be happy to accept.”

(She cried when he sent her a picture of DUM-E wearing her second attempt at knitting tied around his arm, displaying his ‘scarf’ proudly.)

Considering the amount of time the two of them spent together, she was also the one who was there when Tony and Bucky first truly ran into each other and started to _communicate_.


	3. Let Us In

Life had changed, after Ultron. Some of it was for the worse - the feeling of team unity, to the extent that it had been there before, had fallen completely apart, at least when it came to him. Most of them now looked at Tony with a kind of distrust that was difficult to look past, even though he was sort of an expert in living with people disliking, distrusting or disparaging him.

Then there was the fact that Steve, despite those misgivings, had told him about his parents, wings held tensely behind his back. He would not deny that there had been a few moments, in the middle of the realization that it had not been his father’s drunk driving that had killed him (but instead the fact that he’d been transporting the serum with Tony’s mom in the car, and was that really any better?) but an assassin instead ( _the_ assassin, instead), that he had been tempted to find James Barnes and shoot him.

Fortunately, the feeling had passed before he could act on it. Instead, he was left grieving for his parents yet again, as well as JARVIS. Rhodey, despite having stayed with the Air Force every time Tony had pretended to joke about the two of them teaming up, had joined the Avengers in an action that felt like replacing him. Pepper had been distant for a while now, and no matter how much he’d bragged to Thor about her, he was fairly sure that they were done. (But then, he suspected Thor and Jane might not be doing great themselves, with the way his offer to have Thor visit the doctor had been refused… although that might also have to do with the fact that it had been _him_ offering - Tony didn’t know anymore.)

As if to make it all worse, Bruce was gone as well, having disappeared in a jet that would have been cloaked if it wasn’t for the fact that Tony, by now, had back entrances into all of his own technology. Nevertheless, it was clear that the other scientist wanted to be left alone, and he still had the wing covers Tony had made, so aside from a message to the on-board computer for Bruce to watch at his own leisure, Tony had not bothered him.

It would have left him to deal with the fallout of Ultron by himself, and for the first month or so, that had in fact been the case. He dealt with the worst of it himself, answered inquiries and tried to help with the devastation the robot had caused as much as possible.

Despite the way they had met, and despite the history between them, Wanda had been a spot of light in those times where he just _couldn’t_ afford to focus on himself or he’d drown. She’d made mistakes, the same way he had, and they had resulted in destruction. But he was so very proud of the way she had accepted her own role in what had happened, had _owned up to it_ in front of the entire world.

Ever since, the two of them had been working together on a variety of things, both to do with Ultron and just… regular, daily things. No matter the judgment he sometimes felt from the others, she was one of his main reasons to keep coming to the compound, even if it wasn’t his home. And even when he wasn’t spending time with her, he would sometimes hang out with Rhodey or Vision, or all three of them together. It made the suspicion from Steve, Natasha and Sam easier to bear - they weren’t wrong, after all. While he’d never intended for things to happen the way they had, he _had_ made them possible.

The person he spent the least amount of time with, mostly due to the fact that he tended to avoid the man, was Barnes. As much as he didn’t blame the man anymore, it was difficult to forget that he’d murdered Howard and his mom (and even more difficult to forget the footage he’d found).

Of course, that kind of status quo couldn’t remain forever. Barnes seemed perfectly content to avoid him in return, hiding in the shadows as much as possible with one and a half wings that were partially silver. (He was actually _very_ good at hiding in the shadows, despite that.)

It was only a matter of time until something happened with his arm, however.

Tony learned about it due to Wanda, actually. The two of them had been working in the kitchen together when she flinched, wings flaring out a little, and dropped one of the knives she’d been cutting tomatoes with.

“You alright?” he asked, picking up the knife and washing it quickly.

She nodded, eyes unfocused as they tended to be when she got slightly overwhelmed. “Yeah, it’s just… pain.” While she’d long since stopped looking into someone’s head for their thoughts and emotions, strong sensations sometimes flooded her senses still.

While it worried Tony a little, he also knew not to push. Wanda might not be able to help the fact that she still caught strong feelings, but she was very insistent on respecting everyone’s privacy about those emotions. That development of a sense of a right and wrong way to use her powers was actually one of the things he was happiest to see, considering the extent of them, and one of the things that made him respect her all the more.

That didn’t mean she didn’t sometimes talk to the person the feelings originated from, though. If she was worried, she did sometimes ask if there was anything she could do to help the person she’d sensed.

Which explained why, two days later, she met him with a withdrawn Barnes at her side. His wings were plastered tightly to his back, as if afraid to take up any space. It made for a stark contrast with Wanda’s relaxed flare of greeting, the slight spread the two of them had made into a greeting. “What’s up, buttercup?” Tony addressed his question to Wanda, estimating that she’d be more likely to give him an answer.

“Bucky wanted to ask you something,” was all she told him, though. Tony wondered why she was there in the first place, whether it was for him or for Barnes.

The fact that Barnes seemed highly hesitant to ask said question gave some credibility to the idea that she’d come along to be sure that he would actually ask whatever it was he needed to. Eventually, though, he did speak up just enough to be heard. “It’s just… my arm’s been bothering me. She… thought you might be able to help. You don’t have to if you don’t want… I get it if you don’t want to be around me. But…”

No doubt she’d encouraged him to ask anyway. Tony didn’t even need her pleading eyes, not really. As uncomfortable as he might be with the ex-assassin, he didn’t want him to _suffer_ , not if there was anything he could do to help. Trying to fix things was what he did, after all.

“Sure thing. There’s a few spaces in here still that can function as a workshop, if you’d prefer that. Or we could go somewhere more comfortable, though I’d need to get a few tools in that case?”

Back when he’d had the building redesigned, he’d planned for it to house all of the Avengers. And, well, it did, didn’t it? He just wasn’t a part of them anymore.

“Workshop is fine, if you’re sure?” And part of him wished that Wanda hadn’t had him interacting with Barnes, because the man was… Well, he wasn’t okay. Not by a long shot. And when Tony saw anything that wasn’t okay, he just got this almost irresistible urge to _help_ , one way or another. Or just every way he could think of and pay for, which, since he was a genius and a billionaire…

So even after they were done in the workshop, having done the maintenance necessary to fix the pain in Barnes’ arm and making sure that he shouldn’t need another appointment soon, Tony kept musing on the man, wondering what he could do to help, what would be helpful.

And if a specialist in PTSD showed up at the compound some days later, offering his services, then that was probably just coincidence. As was the delivery of six boxes of sci-fi novels, even though just about everything was digital in the compound. And maybe the dark grey fleece blanket was a bit much, but it’s not like Tony had anything to do with it, not that anyone knew. (He actually did not technically have anything to do with the fact that there was a box of letters addressed to the longest ever POW, wishing him the best, as well as children’s drawings - that was just passing things on.)

No one mentioned it, and Tony didn’t know if anyone had noticed. Well, he knew Wanda had - she’d smiled and presented a bit wider after the fleece blanket had been delivered, but she hadn’t actually _said_ anything, so he felt like he could ignore that.

Barnes did seek him out a few times, though. Once, it had been to ask a question about one of the books he’d read. Tony had been unable to resist a lengthy explanation, trying to figure out how much Barnes already knew and building on that to explain how the time travel would work out - even though he _did_ point out time travel tended to be a terrible idea.

One time ended up being more times, until the two of them were watching Star Trek with Wanda and Vision, the three of them fortunately not minding Tony’s regular commentary. He’d never been able to be quiet during a movie, and there was a reason he and Pepper generally chose to do other things than watch a movie after the first time. The others actually asked him questions, though, asking him to explain things that ranged from science to social interactions.

For the first time since… well, since having been kidnapped, probably, and maybe far longer than that, Tony felt _alright_.

Which was when HYDRA attacked.

It was immediately obvious what they wanted - their Asset back. Tony took one look at Bucky’s face, fear and resignation warring for only a few seconds before it smoothed into an emotionless facade that his eyes and wings immediately betrayed. While he had control of his healthy right wing, Tony could see the tremble that he couldn’t quite hide in the leftover half of his left wing.

“Hulk’s safe room is open if you want,” he offered, having made his decision. If Bucky didn’t want to, Tony didn’t want him to have to fight.

Bucky himself seemed somewhat wary. “You’re sure it’s safe?”

“Safest place in the building, actually. There’s even a shelter behind it, flicking a switch in the nook between the glass and the wall that opens a door too small for the Hulk to get through. Even if electricity fails - ” which it might, since HYDRA was a bunch of assholes, but they weren’t completely stupid, “it becomes impossible to open from the outside except for me. Code is 158396.”

That was when they found out that HYDRA apparently had control words for Bucky. It was also when they found out that Tony was smarter than HYDRA, considering the Hulk room went into blackout when used. Watching the HYDRA goon keep yelling the same butchered Russian at a window that wouldn’t let sound through was at least a little funny - as was the unimpressed look on Wanda’s face when she finally knocked him unconscious.

On the bad side, it was very clear HYDRA was still intent on getting their assassin back (and they had a way into the compound). On the bright side, they now knew a lot more than they had before, which made it very, very possible to work to make things better.

And Tony, well… Tony was a fixer.


	4. Makes Me Whole

To be quite honest, Bucky didn’t remember the last time he felt okay. Maybe he’d never been. Life in the 30’s and 40’s, from what he could remember, hadn’t been the easiest. But he imagined that being able to fly, being able to just leave it all behind for a bit and feel _free_ , had made up for quite a bit of it.

Ever since his fall from the train, he hadn’t been able to fly. Not really. HYDRA had replaced the arm he’d lost, but not the part of his left wing that was gone. Bucky still wasn’t sure if it was because they couldn’t or because they simply didn’t feel like bothering. After all, even in the 40’s there had been ways to make wings temporarily ineffective, sticking them together - it had been why he’d fallen, after all.

Living with the Avengers was the closest he could remember to being okay, and even that was… debatable. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate everything they’d done for him, not at all. He knew Steve would walk through fire for him, and the fact that Tony Stark even _allowed_ him to be there despite what he’d done to the man’s parents was nothing short of amazing. But he still felt out of place, lost in some ways, and he’d found himself wishing more than once that Steve had simply left him alone to deal with his own problems. Except that he was still dangerous, and HYDRA could still trigger him, and there probably wasn’t a safer place than the Avengers compound to be when they did.

Or tried. Because Tony had thought of even that, had allowed him to stand there as they screamed the words at him over and over without having any effect on him. He didn’t think he could ever thank the man enough.

Sometimes he felt like a duckling, following after the man along with Wanda and Vision as he showed them all the wonders of the world and then some.

He’d been jealous of Steve at first - to think that _Tony_ had been his introduction to the future, rather than what HYDRA had done. But it hadn’t taken long for him to realize that the two of them, despite being able to work together well enough, didn’t exactly get along. He wasn’t sure why, to be honest, since Tony seemed eager for Steve’s approval. Unfortunately, Steve didn’t exactly seem eager to give it, judging the man for things that mystified Bucky.

At least Tony didn’t mind Bucky being there, following along as he showed and explained and _embodied_ the future. In fact, after the first uncomfortable months, the genius even seemed to _like_ him well enough.

Considering the fact that he wasn’t even close to the suave man he’d been before… everything, Bucky honestly couldn’t imagine why. He was withdrawn, hesitant, and not someone he could imagine anyone voluntarily wanting to hang out with. Not to mention he’d seen the people Tony loved to surround himself with - strong people, who had their own opinions and didn’t hesitate to argue with him. Talented people in their own rights, though Bucky felt like none of them could quite match Tony’s own brilliance.

Bucky was… well, he wasn’t any of that anymore. He was a shell of a person, destroyed over and over again until there wasn’t that much left of him. If he was quite honest with himself, he suspected the only reason Steve still clung to him was the memory of the times they’d had together - memories that had faded in Bucky’s mind, until they felt almost like they’d been a dream rather than the past. He was terrified of Steve realizing as much, though, terrified that he’d be left behind once the man that had once been his best friend realized how little of ‘Bucky’ was honestly left in him.

It had helped that he now had a psychologist. Henry had been in the military himself, and while he didn’t have the experiences Bucky had, it felt like he could at least understand somewhat. (Bucky had his suspicions on who’d been the reason for Henry showing up, but since nothing was mentioned, he kept quiet.)

After multiple meetings that mostly involved him talking about the way psychology worked nowadays, including the confidentiality agreements, Bucky had finally started feeling comfortable enough to discuss some of the things that bothered him. And while it was often hellish, he couldn’t deny that the meetings actually _helped_ him. He felt less lost, less adrift now that he had someone to talk to about things that were bothering him.

What he didn’t like nearly as much was the way Henry kept encouraging him to talk to other people about the way he was feeling as well. He didn’t want to tell Steve he was terrified the man would leave him after finding out the truth, despite the fact that he had trouble remembering him. He didn’t want to tell Tony that he had the biggest crush on him, especially since he didn’t even come _close_ to deserving him. In fact, if he could have, he would’ve had no trouble just sticking to the edges of any room, being able to hang out with people without having to actually do anything.

He was still so lost.

Which was why it astonished him when Tony actually asked him to come by the lab at one point, alone. Before, he’d asked about his arm (with some encouragement from Wanda) and Tony had been very willing to help, and he didn’t seem to mind Bucky hanging around when he was with Wanda and Vision either, but to have _Tony_ request a more private meeting?

There was no denying he was a little bit afraid of what it would mean.

Seeing a prosthetic for a wing, rotating on a hovering screen in front of Tony, was probably the last thing he would’ve expected, though.

Part of him wanted to ask what was going on. The other, bigger part of him was already silent most of the time, and seeing this made him even more unable to get a single word out. So instead he just stared, until Tony got up to face him with an almost shy smile on his face, his wings doing their usual barely-there ruffle of greeting. Automatically, Bucky spread his own one and a half wing.

“So, I had this idea. But it doesn’t seem right to do so without asking you, and it’d be a lot easier with your cooperation - I mean, I could get a _long_ way without, but giving you a choice seems like the thing to do, if you know what I mean. You _do_ know what I mean, right? ‘Cause you haven’t had a whole lot of choices, and… Okay, I’m rambling.” He breathed deeply, and Bucky couldn’t stop staring, eyes flicking between Tony and the image on the screen. “I’ve been thinking… I could make you a wing prosthesis. Measured, fitted, working. So you’d be able to fly again. And yeah, I’ve made quite a lot of progress, mostly to make sure I actually _could_ do what I promised, but I didn’t want to do so without your… permission? I guess? So… would you like to have your wing back? Well, not _your_ wing, considering it’d be made of metal, but _a_ wing, that would help you to fly again. Okay, shutting up now.”

The nervousness was honestly unexpected. This was… “Amazing,” he breathed. “You… You’d honestly be able to? _Willing_ to?”

Tony huffed in mock-offense, though Bucky could tell he was still nervous. His wings were plastered to his back, which was a complete waste of such gorgeous wings. Just once, Bucky hoped he’d be able to see them spread out. “Of course I’d be able to - I’m Tony fucking Stark. If there isn’t a way, I _make_ one. I just wanted to be sure that you wanted it.”

“I… Gods, I’d _love_ it.” The idea of being able to fly again, to soar up in the sky like he was meant to… Bucky was almost afraid to hope, except Tony was definitely right - he made the impossible possible. And if Tony said that he was going to make him fly again, he _would_. “You…”

He’d known he missed his wings, of course, known he missed flying. But he’d never realized how much he wanted to have full wings again, how much just the _idea_ of it would already make him feel so much less broken, until Tony offered to make it possible.

“That’s a yes, then?” Tony made sure to confirm, though the smile on his face was more genuine now, and his wings looked so much less tense.

Bucky wasn’t sure whether he wanted to cry or kiss Tony. Neither option seemed like the best idea, though. Instead, he grinned widely, absently noticing the stunned look on Tony’s face. Gods, when had Bucky last smiled, _genuinely_ smiled? “That’s a hell yes. If you… You’re _amazing_.” His slight embarrassment at the honesty in his voice died a quick death when he noticed the blush on Tony’s face, though he regretted the fact that those brown eyes were averted quickly, wings rustling ever-so-slightly behind the genius’ back.

“It’s really… Well, it _is_ special, considering it’s not been done before, but really, it’s not…”

“It’s something. It’s really something to me,” he cut Tony off before he could figure out a way to brush off the compliment. This wasn’t ‘nothing’, however he wanted to spin it. And in his weeks of spending time with Tony, even if it had been mostly watching from the sidelines, he’d learned enough to know that a change of subject would make things the easiest for the genius. So he walked up to the screen, looking at the silver wing. “So how’s it work?”

With a sense of relief, Tony dove into explaining how it would be attached to the remains of his own wing, how it would respond to him as organically as a regular wing would. Bucky couldn’t do anything but listen to him with a growing adoration. Tony really was amazing.

Over the next few weeks, they spent quite a bit of time together, going over what the wing would need and taking measurements of what was left of Bucky’s left wing to make sure it would fit the best. So far, Tony had still been leaving at the end of the days, back to his lonely Tower, but a talk with Wanda had revealed that he wasn’t the only one noticing how more and more of Tony’s supplies were ending up at the compound, and how it seemed like he only left to sleep.

On the day where Tony had promised to return with the completed wing, Bucky brought Wanda and Vision along to see. As much as being alone with Tony sounded increasingly tempting, the three of them had become friends in their own right, and he wanted to share this moment with them as well.

The wing itself was gorgeous. Bucky’s own wings already tended towards silver, but the detail that Tony had put into it was… well, far more beautiful than he’d dared to expect. The biggest part of it was silver, but there were black accents in it that reminded him of his arm. The accents were different from the brown in his actual wings, darker, making it look unique while still suiting the original colors. Not to mention that it fit like a dream, slotting in and making Bucky feel something close to _complete_. He wasn’t sure what his face looked like at the moment, and he wasn’t quite able to care, not when he finally had _two full wings_ again.

When he moved his muscles, they ruffled a bit, and he took a few moments to familiarize himself with the feeling of them. Then, almost breathless, he spread them, all the way to the sides and then moving them up to meet over his head in what was regarded as the most reverent way of presenting known to humans.

Bucky could see a faint flush on Tony’s cheeks, as well as an answering tremble in his wings, that was enough to make hope bloom in his chest.

Oh Gods, he had _wings_ again.

“Can I use them?” He could hear the way his voice cracked with emotion, but he couldn’t be ashamed of it. This was… He’d never dared hope for something like this, _never_.

“Of course!” Tony told him instantly, waving him along as his wings fluttered ever so slightly. Bucky wondered why he was so hesitant to show them off, considering they were probably the most gorgeous wings he’d ever had the honor of seeing. “Do you want to go outside, or would you prefer some privacy? ‘Cause we could also go to the training gym right now, since I don’t think anyone’s in there at the moment.”

That last part was directed at one of the hidden cameras, and even with his training Bucky had never been able to find all of them. “There isn’t, boss,” FRIDAY confirmed.

“The gym, for now?” Bucky asked. As proud as he was, however incandescently _happy_ he felt right now, he wanted to keep this as his own for just a little longer, sharing it only with the three people he’d grown closest to in the compound.

Since they were all far more gracious than he deserved, none of them minded. Chuckling, they snuck through the hallways like they were in some spy movie, FRIDAY only occasionally speaking up in case they were about to run into someone else. Gods, Bucky felt like he was fifteen again, young and carefree and _free_.

By the time they got to the gym, none of them could quite stop laughing. Even Vision, who wasn’t always equally sure about emotions and tended to spend more time asking questions about them than feeling them, was chuckling along with them.

And then… Oh Gods, then…

Bucky _flew_.

As everything else in the Compound, the gym had been carefully designed to provide all the training opportunities necessary and more. There were weights and machines and ropes, but there were also plateaus and racks and nets and everything that could prove even remotely useful. It wasn’t an area to practice fighting - there was another huge space set aside for that - but there was more than enough to provide a challenge.

Despite wanting to fly, wanting to soar, Bucky started out somewhat carefully at one of the lower plateaus to ensure the wings would hold him, would keep him in the air.

The prosthetic Tony had made felt natural, almost like he’d never lost part of his wing. He really shouldn’t be surprised, but it was even better than the arm, which weighed too much to quite feel natural. And it held him as easily as his own wings ever had.

Whooping, he flapped his wings to get higher, faster, further. And although the gym was a big room, it was still a room that wasn’t meant for a flying super soldier.

He landed right in front of Tony, unable to keep the grin from his face. “Can we go outside?”

There was something very soft in the genius’ eyes, and Bucky could see a faint tremble in his wings. Not for the first time, he wondered why Tony never just spread them out and flew. “Of course, Snowflake.” But then they were outside, and Bucky wanted to cry. He could feel the wind in his hair, feel the sun shining on him.

He was free. HYDRA might be after him still, and he might not be healthy and all there mentally yet, but he was _free_. Free and so, so happy.

Thanks to Tony.

Once that thought crossed his mind, he was flying down, down, to where Tony was standing with Wanda and Vision, smiling at him but letting him have his moment. Vision didn’t have wings, but he could see the way Wanda’s wings were flexing beside her, could see the way she wanted to join him in the skies. Tony’s wings were straight behind him, the way Bucky had seen them held on all of his press photos, and he wondered how much training it had cost him to be able to hold them that still.

“Thank you,” he blurted out once he landed, breathless and elated. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re very welcome, Snowflake.” Tony smiled at him, genuine and so beautiful, and Bucky couldn’t help himself.

“Fly with me,” he begged, his wings moving up, _up_ , and there was no way of disguising the full circle they made behind him as anything but a courting display.

Tony’s eyes widened, stunned and vulnerable. “Bucky… Are you sure?”

From the corner of his eye, Bucky noticed Wanda and Vision moving away from the two of them, giving them some privacy, and he was grateful for it. “I am,” he confirmed, sounding as certain as he felt. “I understand if it’s not something you want, and I’d be happy just being friends… or just colleagues, if you want. It’s just… I think you’re absolutely amazing. And it would be an honor to court you.”

As certain as he was that he wanted this, there was no way to be sure if it was something Tony wanted. Honestly, after everything, the fact that he hadn’t sent Bucky away, let alone the fact that he’d been kind to him was already so much more than anyone could’ve expected.

“If… I mean, yes, but…” Tony stumbled over his words, looking away, and those perfectly poised wings rustled with uncertainty. “Do you mind me putting on the armor?”

There was something more there, Bucky was certain. Something that Tony was hiding. But he also knew that if he said no right now, it was likely that he’d lose any chance he’d have had. And really, did it honestly matter _how_ Tony would be flying, if it meant that he was right up there with Bucky? “‘Course not, doll,” he told Tony, keeping his voice light and easy. He knew he’d made the right decision when the other man smiled up at him, relief obvious.

Flying was even better when Tony was right there with him.


	5. Book Of Love (Will Open Up)

Tony grinned as he got out of the car, looking at the compound. No one was there to greet him, but then again, no one was really expecting him. Not for at least another hour. He’d been able to leave early, having finished everything Pepper had asked of him and getting even more done on the wing prostheses that he’d been working on after both Bruce and Bucky. They both had different problems that prevented them from flying, Bruce with his missing feathers and Bucky with an entire part of his wing missing, and as happy as he was that he’d managed to solve it for both of them, he knew there were many more out there unable to fly.

So far, it wasn’t a perfect solution. The fact that he’d been able to help Bucky as much as he had was the fact that most of the primary bones had still been present. That meant he largely had to work on the feathered part, similar to the way for Bruce’s prostheses (though not quite the same, since it wasn’t just the feathers that were missing with Bucky), which also meant there wasn’t too much to interface with for movement.

It was quite honestly why he was offended when people said that whoever had created the arm at HYDRA might have been a better engineer than he was. Only the fact that he felt it would have been _rude_ to expose some of what were possibly Bucky’s worst traumas had stopped him from clarifying that no, they were definitely not a better engineer, but they had simply shown that they sure as hell didn’t have any hesitation about experimenting on humans. Looking into the arm now, years after, he could still see remnants of what must have been the first prototypes. Bucky had suffered and suffered and _suffered_ because HYDRA didn’t give a damn about hurting him, not if it meant he could be useful to them. Even in the days where he’d been an arms dealer, he’d never have considered anything like what they had done.

Creating prostheses for wings where more damage had been done was _possible_ , but he and Pepper had conversed extensively (and inconclusively) about whether it would be humane. He’d promised to look into it, and normal humans could at least have the benefit of anesthesia that didn’t work on super soldiers, but it still involved poking around in someone’s nervous system. If they failed, as he was able to surmise had happened with Bucky back at HYDRA, a normal human wouldn’t heal from it. And even a success meant they had to get it right in one try, or they would probably end up suffering.

As it was, at least it would soon be possible to replace the bottom expanse of the wings with a Stark Industries prosthetic that would allow people to fly again. The same was the case for people like Bruce, who were missing feathers that wouldn’t grow back. Having replacements inserted was possible, but that had always been merely aesthetic. Tony was incredibly proud of the fact that he’d come up with something better, one of the inventions that made him feel like he was doing something _good_ for the world.

A quick question to FRIDAY informed him that most of the others were off training, including Bucky, Wanda and Vision. It only made sense, of course, and Tony wondered if it would be an idea to simply head to the garden that had become sort of a meeting place for them and see them later.

In the end, it was the fact that Steve was also there, training with the others, that decided for him.

He couldn’t completely fault the blond for disliking him - Tony was well-aware he wasn’t always the easiest to get along with. And after thinking Bucky was dead for so long, only to find out he’d been suffering for years, Steve had become rather protective of his best friend. So as painful as it was, it wasn’t a surprise that Steve really preferred for Tony to stay away from Bucky.

While Bucky had put his foot down early on about spending time on his own, it was obvious that Steve preferred for that time to be spent _away_ from Tony. Not that Bucky paid a whole lot of attention to that, especially lately.

Hell, Tony guessed that the only reason he’d managed to avoid a shovel talk so far was the fact that he put a lot of effort into avoiding _Steve_.

None of the others cared as much, mostly neutral about things, but Tony wondered how much of their initial impression of him had lingered. Tony Stark - Not Recommended, after all.

Fortunately, even with all of that, he’d found people that actually liked him and that _wanted_ to spend their free time with him. And when three of his favorites came walking up, he couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he stood to greet them. All of them responded with a smile, though Vision’s was still more reserved, and both Bucky and Wanda spread their wings in greeting, Bucky presenting a little higher in a way that still had Tony fighting to keep down a blush.

Seconds later, he was fighting to keep down a grimace as he spread his wings as high as they could go, close to horizontal. It was a good thing the three of them were very forgiving, or that they didn’t look for a reason behind his lackluster presenting, because Tony _knew_ it wasn’t up to standards. And while he could count the people that he actually wanted to properly present to on two hands, they had become included in that small number more quickly than he’d thought possible after ~~Obie’s~~ Stane’s betrayal.

“How was training?” he asked them with a grin, covering up his pain as he lowered his wings back down again. What with Bucky courting him lately, he’d been trying to put in more effort than the negligible flare that he tended to greet most people with, and he was starting to feel it.

He considered himself lucky that Wanda hadn’t picked up on it yet, although he was aware that it was a possibility and it would probably happen at one point if he continued to strain himself.

“Pretty well - he even told me he was considering putting me into the field,” Bucky told him, and while he was smiling, Tony could also see the hesitation in his eyes.

“Is that something you want?” he asked, keeping any judgment out of his voice.

With a sigh, Bucky sat down. Wanda and Vision did as well, a bit further away, and Tony was struck with a brief flash of amusement at how much it seemed like they were chaperoning the two of them.

“I mean, part of me does. I wanna do something _good_ , y’know? And I wanna be out there, helping to protect all of you.” To his credit, he did sound certain of that part. Then, he frowned. “But I don’t wanna hurt anyone. I’m just… so tired of hurting, of _killing_. And I know it’s necessary sometimes, and I know I can do it, but it also kinda scares me. And I know that sounds stupid - the Winter Soldier, afraid of killing. But...”

Hesitantly, Tony put a hand on his arm. When it seemed to help Bucky release some tension, he allowed his hand to slide down, until it was holding Bucky’s. “If it helps… I think that’s a good thing. To be afraid of killing, that is.” He waited until Bucky was looking up at him to continue. “As… Well, being who we are, violence is a quick answer to things, and often necessary. But that’s also dangerous, because we can start seeing violence as an answer to problems that… well, that shouldn’t involve violence. So if you ask me, it makes sense, and it makes you one of the _good guys_. Because you don’t want to kill, but you do it because you have to, so they don’t kill anyone else, and so someone else doesn’t have to.”

After taking a deep breath, he continued. “That being said, you have _no_ obligation whatsoever. It’s a choice you have to make for yourself, and if you decide you don’t want to, you don’t _have_ to be an Avenger. Hell, there’s other ways to help out if you want, including if you don’t want to fight. And no one has the right to tell you that you _have to_ do one thing or the other. So… Well, feel free to choose, is all I’m saying.”

The smile on Bucky’s face actually made him want to blush, and the practice he’d had was the only reason his wings didn’t try to move forward to help cover his face. He didn’t think anyone had ever looked at him with such _adoration_.

“I’ll think it over, doll,” Bucky assured him. “And thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for, really,” Tony told him, trying to shrug it off. “Just how it is, or how it should be at least. Nothing special.”

Bucky squeezed his hand gently, keeping his increased strength in mind as he always did. “It’s special to me.” And really, that smile and those _eyes_ just weren’t fair at all. There was no way to hide the slight rustle of his wings as they tried to move forward, though he managed to keep it at just a twitch. It was enough to make Bucky smile even brighter, though.

The moment was interrupted by Wanda, who looked rather unsure, her wings fluttering ever-so-slightly. “Just to let you know, Steve and Sam are on their way out here,” she warned them. As much as she had her powers under control, she was still constantly aware of where the people around her were.

It was only due to years of training to hide his reactions that Tony managed to keep from grimacing, though he knew his jaw had tightened somewhat. Observant as ever, there was no way that Bucky had missed it, which was confirmed by the concern that showed on his face and the way his wings moved forward as if to shelter Tony. “Want to head somewhere else?” he offered, and there was no way Tony would ever be able to express his gratitude at how neutral he managed to make it sound.

“If you wouldn’t mind,” he answered, realizing as he did that he’d honestly come to _trust_ Bucky, as well as Wanda and Vision, enough to be vulnerable in front of them.

“‘Course not,” was the immediate reply. “How ‘bout we go watch a movie in that theatre room that you put in here? Think there’s still a few things on my list that should make for a nice afternoon together - I even hid a package of popcorn from Sam and Clint, greedy birdbrains.”

He allowed himself to be pulled along gently, listening easily to Bucky’s rambling about how they always ate all of the popcorn, and how they and Steve always ate all of the peanut butter, and hadn’t any of them ever heard of sharing? As he laughed at Bucky’s descriptions of trying to acquire some of the desired food items, he made a mental note to order some more of them, and perhaps including a care package for Bucky specifically to make sure he’d have enough. He deserved only the best, after all.

In all of his wildest dreams, he’d never thought he’d be lucky enough to find someone as amazing as Bucky.

Considering all of their lives, it only made sense that the peace wouldn’t be able to last.

It seemed like a somewhat regular call-out at first. Some people had taken three different office buildings hostage. Bombs had been placed in all different buildings, there were hostages spread across multiple floors, and some of the weapons they were carrying were either Chitauri tech or knock-offs.

That last thing was what had the Avengers being called in, rather than just hostage negotiation and the bomb squad, though both were there on back-up. Rhodey was off with the military, and Clint was off for a week with his family, but everyone else was there (except Bucky, who still stayed behind on call-outs). Considering Rhodey’s absence and the presence of both bombs and Chitauri tech, it had been decided to call in Tony as well.

What they hadn’t expected was that it would be HYDRA, and they had only one demand.

Bucky.

“We’re not handing him over,” were Steve’s first words when he heard the request, though fortunately not on the phone line that had been set up by hostage negotiation.

As much as he didn’t want to, Tony spoke up. He knew he was hardly impartial either, but Steve was very much compromised at the moment. “We need to alert him to the situation. Possibly get him to come over here.”

Tony decided to be generous and ascribe Steve’s reaction to his fear of losing Bucky again. His wings spread wide, threatening, as he glared at Tony. “We are _not_ sending him back to HYDRA, Stark,” he insisted, voice nearly a growl.

“I do not think that is what he meant,” Vision thankfully interrupted. He hated it, but Steve’s disapproval still made something shrivel up inside of him.

Fortunately, it helped enough that Steve looked at him a little less accusingly, though he didn’t say anything. “It’s about him - there’s no way he’d want us to keep this from him, especially with lives on the line. Not to mention that getting him here can give us some time to get another plan in place. Trust me, Steve, I’d sooner put on one of those SHIELD veils and pretend to be him than actually letting him walk in there himself.”

He wasn’t sure what it was that Steve saw in his eyes, but some of his tension evaporated and his wings came back down to his sides. “Alright. But we’re figuring this out, one way or another.”

“Definitely,” Tony nodded. He’d never planned otherwise.

Once Bucky heard of the trouble HYDRA went through to get him, he predictably didn’t want to stay at the compound. “They’ve got people held hostage over there, just to get me. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’m gonna,” he told all of them. Tony could tell he wasn’t entirely happy about it, but his determination was obvious.

“Before you head out - go down to the workshop. FRIDAY will let you in and show you where to go. There’s gonna be two communicators, left and right, that you need to put in. It’ll instantly transmit the Avengers frequency, but any outside noise will be filtered through so those trigger words they had for you won’t get through.” It wasn’t perfect yet, and ideally Tony wanted to figure out a way to get rid of the words altogether, but he liked to be prepared in case of emergencies, and this certainly counted as one.

Everyone was silent for a few moments when he mentioned that, and for what felt like the first time, there was approval in Steve’s gaze.

“I… Thanks, Tony.” Bucky seemed speechless, but Tony could _hear_ the gratitude in his voice, and that was everything he needed.

While the negotiators communicated that Bucky was on his way (and the knowledge didn’t seem to surprise them, which made Tony extremely suspicious - they’d gotten into the compound before when they shouldn’t have been able to, and it appeared that they still had more knowledge than they should) the Avengers worked on a plan.

Considering the uncertainty about HYDRA’s source of information, everyone made sure to appear outwardly worried as they discussed.

“Did you have a plan in mind already?” Steve asked Tony, looking at him evaluatively for a moment before returning to his scheduled pacing, wings vibrating nervously. “I can’t see a lot from here, but they appear to have guards up at all of the buildings.”

“I have a _start_ of a plan,” Tony confessed. He had it fairly easily, considering he had the Iron Man mask back on and he didn’t have to worry as much about his facial expressions. “You’re important, and I stand out a lot even if they don’t know about the two of us… courting.” It was the first time he’d openly said it in front of anyone else, and he relaxed slightly when no one commented. Fortunately, the armor helped keep his wings still. “They’ve probably got an eye out for Wanda and Vision as well. But Natasha and Sam are fairly unobtrusive, and sneaky enough to be able to sneak into the two outer buildings - it looks like whoever’s in charge is in the middle one.”

“So the rest of us are obvious distractions while they sneak in?” Wanda asked.

“With Vision being able to shift through walls, as well as your power, I’m guessing we’d be able to take the ones in the middle building out pretty quickly. But we can only be so many places at once, so I thought it’d be a good idea for them to get a head start on the others?”

Having the others helping to develop the plan turned out to be useful, especially Steve’s strategic insight, Bucky’s assessment of HYDRA’s tactics and Natasha’s expertise in going unnoticed. Wanda, eager to prove herself and be helpful, actually came up with a suggestion that would make sneaking away even easier for the others. By the time Bucky’s car pulled up, they had it all worked out and ready to implement, with Steve and Tony being around more obviously, Wanda and Vision standing hesitantly behind them, and Sam and Natasha making their way out of the area unnoticeably as Wanda managed two impressions of them that could actually hold up at a distance.

Amazingly, it actually went according to plan. Both Sam and Natasha were able to infiltrate their building while Steve drew all of the attention by arguing alternately with HYDRA and Bucky himself that this wasn’t right, wings spread wide in front of his friend. It also gave Tony time to figure out what HYDRA knew, helped along by the fact that they had quite a bit of technology with them that could’ve used some better firewalls.

When it was over, the hostages all safe and the members of HYDRA either dead or in custody, Tony stuck to the side, his helmet off, as Steve embraced Bucky tightly, wings wrapped around him as well.

Just as he was wondering whether he should make himself scarce, Bucky turned to him, a smile on his face and his wings relaxed behind him. Steve stayed where he was as his friend walked up to Tony and pulled him into a hug himself. This time it was Bucky’s wings enveloping Tony instead, and while it wasn’t something he was used to at all, he found himself relaxing into the embrace. He wondered what it would feel like when he wasn’t wearing the armor.

“Thank you as well, doll,” Bucky whispered in his ear.

Tony shook his head ever so slightly. “No need to thank me for this, honestly.” There was no way he’d have let HYDRA take Bucky, not if there was _anything_ he could do about it. And considering who he was, he was great at finding a different way around things.

“But I want to.” Bucky wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t insist on being way more amazing than Tony deserved, of course. “And I… I want to take you out. On a date. If you’d like that as well?”

Pulling back slightly, Tony looked him in the eyes. Just as before, when Bucky had first asked him to fly together, there was a mix of determination, hope and insecurity in there. Silly man, still thinking there would be any chance at all that Tony would say ‘no’. “Of course I would,” he assured Bucky, delighting in the way that uncertainty made way for happiness.

The grin on his face was an absolute delight to look at, and when he looked at the others briefly, he could see that both Wanda and Vision were smiling at them. Even Steve, a little farther away, had an indulgent smile on his face and a contemplative look in his eyes.

Not wanting to think too much of it, he burrowed back into Bucky’s hug, wondering if he’d be okay with more hugging when Tony wasn’t wearing the armor. Somehow, he thought it might be even more comfortable then.

As it turned out, it was. And officially dating Bucky, after the courting they had been doing, was everything he’d ever wanted of it and more.

He might have been a little afraid of it turning their friendship weird, all the way at the beginning, but amazingly enough, it _didn’t_. In fact, they fell into dating like it was a natural progression - much to the exasperation of some of the others. They might be taking their time with getting intimate, but they had no problem flirting outrageously with one another. They knew the exact steps, the exact words, but none of it felt like a performance. It felt playful, instead, and Tony couldn’t help but feel grateful for it.

From what he could tell, it was helping Bucky as well. As much progress as he’d made, HYDRA had done quite a number on him, and he still struggled with it sometimes. Their flirting helped relax him, and Tony had made sure he knew that there were no expectations for anything more - his company already made Tony happier than he’d felt in years.

And then, the one thing that had been missing ended up reappearing.

“Bruce?” Tony knew he sounded shocked, and he couldn’t help the startled flutter of his wings. He had hoped for Bruce’s return, of course, and he’d told all of their new members - Bucky, Wanda, Vision, FRIDAY, even Sam - about his ‘science bro’, but he hadn’t dared to hope that Bruce would actually return.

One by one, the others joined him by the door, probably alerted by FRIDAY. “I hope I’m still welcome?” Bruce asked, that hesitantly playful smile on his face.

“Of course!” Tony instantly told him, joined by most of the others.

Looking back, he saw the hesitant look on Wanda’s face, wings held tightly to her back. On most days, she was doing fairly well, but there were still days where the shame about her past actions was very prominent. Being faced with one of the people that she had hurt in her quest for revenge was clearly bringing it back.

He would be there for her if she asked for his help, but she’d already come a long way on her own, and he wanted her to learn her own strength as well. So he stood to the side as she hesitantly approached Bruce - despite admitting to her part in the disaster of Johannesburg, and despite publicly apologizing to all of her victims, including Bruce, she had never gotten to apologize in person. And she had admitted to him that, after learning more about Bruce himself, she felt like she owed him a personal apology as well. It was something she had done for all of the other Avengers she had used her powers on as well. Only Bruce and Thor had been unavailable.

“Doctor Banner… Please allow me to apologize for what I did to you… and for what I made you do. It was wrong of me, and if there is anything I can do to make up for it… anything at all… I hope you will allow me to do so.”

Everyone else remained silent, having accepted that this was something Wanda needed to do herself, though Tony knew they were ready to jump in the moment something went wrong. He knew Bruce, though - despite his anger management issues, the guy (and the Hulk, for that matter) had a gooey center about twice the size of the largest marshmallow ever.

So when Bruce just smiled at her, though still a little wryly, Tony wasn’t surprised at all. “That depends… Do you have any idea how to make a chocolate fudge cake?”

It startled a laugh out of Wanda, and the others soon joined in. “I can definitely do that,” she assured him, determination on her face and wings spreading ever-so-slightly. Tony was sure she would try her best to make it the finest chocolate fudge cake that Bruce had ever had.

Now, leaning back into Bucky as they all caught up with Bruce, it felt like his family was finally complete.


	6. Interlude - Hold On (To Each Other's Hands)

After getting dinner, they headed back to the Tower, where Tony still tended to spend his nights. As amazing as their dates had been, as well as their (somewhat adapted) courting flights, they had been rather hesitant about moving further in their relationship.

Still, flying the way they were, Tony found himself thinking about it again.

Chancing a glance at Bucky, flying beside him, he found the other man returning the look. His ice-blue eyes were a shade darker than usual, and Tony could feel heat rush through him.

Almost without noticing, they started flying closer, maneuvering around one another, never losing eye contact. And when Tony reached out his hands, pulling back the gloves and relying on the repulsors in his boots to keep him in the air, he found Bucky’s hands meeting his. It might be too early to be in love, but he knew he was close - knew it even more when he saw the affection in Bucky’s eyes as well.

He was close to blurting out the words, only to find that he couldn’t. Instead, heat rushed through him as Bucky’s lips met his own, more gentle than he’d dared to expect and feeling more _right_ than he’d ever dared to imagine.

Sighing, he leaned in further, feeling Bucky groan softly into his mouth as their kiss deepened.

It might be too early to say it, but Tony knew he was falling in love.


	7. I Need You So

The sun was starting to set, the sky changing colors, and Bucky grinned as he swooped down a bit before flying back up again. It felt like freedom, even more so now that the Avengers had decided they were more than done with HYDRA (and SHIELD had agreed to let them work on their elimination, considering the amount of times they’d been infiltrated one way or another and the way HYDRA had proven themselves dangerous to civilian lives in their quest to get Bucky back). Tony had apologized, unnecessarily, for the two HYDRA agents that had managed to get into the compound in the confusion between JARVIS’ destruction and FRIDAY’s installation, though no one blamed him for it. They were working on it, all of the Avengers together.

Probably the best of all was the fact that Tony was right there beside him, helping him in every way possible (and a few that he hadn’t thought were possible before). They were even working on the trigger words, though they were taking it slow due to Tony not wanting Bucky to be uncomfortable any more than absolutely necessary, and the communicators he had created made sure that he could even be out in the field without a risk.

He knew it wasn’t likely to be needed, but he made sure to wear them any time he left the compound. Due to Tony having created them, they weren’t uncomfortable to wear, and Bucky would definitely rather be safe than sorry when it came to the possibility of HYDRA regaining control over him.

Diving again, he closed his eyes briefly as he enjoyed the wind blowing through his hair and feathers.

Feeling was the only thing the metal part of his wing couldn’t do, and Tony had admitted that it was due to the fact that making it able to feel meant messing around with his nerves. Considering he remembered his time with HYDRA, Bucky couldn’t help but be grateful for that much.

Honestly, despite Steve being worried about Tony, Bucky had never felt more respected, more _cared for_ than he did with Tony. It was still hard to believe sometimes that someone as amazing as Tony would want to be with him, but over the past weeks, it had become more than clear that the other did, in fact, care about him deeply. He wasn’t sure it was love yet, for either of them, but Bucky did know that he himself was heading there very quickly.

It wasn’t difficult, after all. And despite some worry from Sam, it wasn’t about everything that Tony had given him and done for him (though he was very grateful for all of it). It wasn’t even that he thought the genius had no flaws whatsoever, although he did seem pretty close to perfect.

More than anything else, what had him interested in Tony was the way they felt like they _matched_. Even before the war, before everything had happened, he’d been absolutely fascinated by the future and technical advancements. He wasn’t nearly as smart as Tony, of course, but his boyfriend was more than willing to explain things to him and show him some inventions that Bucky had only been able to dream of. One of the ways they were currently courting, by spending time together, was working on remodeling a car they had found together.

Their sense of humor also matched frighteningly well, to the extent where even Steve (who tended to be hesitant about Tony) had resorted to facepalming instead of looking disapproving. Bucky had started to relax more and more as time went on, and while he would freely admit that his humor was a bit _darker_ these days, it felt very freeing to be able to let go. Not to mention the fact that he and Tony could flirt _outrageously_ with one another, to the extent where he was pretty sure everyone else was assuming they’d been sleeping together for a while now. And while that was true in the most literal sense, they hadn’t actually moved past kissing and cuddling in their relationship.

Overall, there were a lot of ways they were fairly similar, as well as a lot of ways it felt like they completed one another, and Bucky didn’t think he’d ever have been able to dream up someone that would make him as happy as Tony did.

One of the only things that rather soured things was the fact that Steve (and some of the others, though to a lesser extent) disapproved of their relationship in general, and Tony in particular. Despite the fact that he hadn’t said anything about it, Bucky could tell that it bothered him. He appeared to be resigned to it more than anything else, just shrugging whenever Bucky brought it up. Then he’d either deflect the topic, or admit that he was used to it and it wasn’t worth bothering with.

Well, Bucky thought it _was_ worth bothering with. _Tony_ was worth bothering with. He’d just wanted a nice solo flight to get his thoughts straight in order to be able to figure out what he wanted to say and what he wanted to get out of the conversation.

By the time he made it back to the compound, the sun had fully set, and the air had started to cool off. As a super soldier it didn’t bother Bucky nearly as much as it had before, but he would admit that he preferred not to get too cold anymore. It still tended to bring back memories of his time with HYDRA, even though he was starting to deal with those.

“Hey FRIDAY,” he greeted the AI, wings flashing up in a greeting.

“Welcome back, Sergeant,” she replied, cheerful as ever. “How was your flight?”

He smiled at one of the cameras he knew the location of. “Was great, thanks for askin’. Hey, is Steve around?”

“Captain Rogers is currently in the common room, as are Miss Maximoff and Agent Barton.”

“Thanks.” He gave another wave to the camera, even though he knew he’d be moving in range of at least one other soon. It seemed only polite, after all, with everything FRIDAY did for them, to show her some basic courtesy.

As much as he wanted to have this conversation with everyone that doubted Tony (which would include Clint, as well as Natasha and Sam), he guessed it might be best to talk to Steve individually at first. If nothing else, not having to worry about being ‘Perfect Captain America’ in front of those he considered ‘his’ would help his old friend be more honest.

Everyone greeted him happily once he got to the living room, raising their wings in greeting. It was still a bit odd to see two knitting needles move without anyone holding them, but he would admit that Wanda had gotten a lot better at knitting since she’d first started, and she appeared to enjoy it as well. He got into a brief conversation about what she was knitting this time (a sweater for Vision, apparently, since he was one of the only people around the compound who wore them unironically), as well as admiring the puzzle Clint was working on, before turning back to Steve.

“Can we talk?” he asked, smiling to show it wasn’t anything _too_ bad. He hoped it wouldn’t be, at least.

Much like any other time Bucky had asked anything of him, Steve obliged immediately, putting away his book and getting up. “Of course. Where did you want to go?” It almost made Bucky feel bad, but he did remember the light in Tony’s eyes dimming a little every time that Steve made it clear, subtle though it was, that he didn’t approve.

“Wanna take a walk around the garden?” It was a relatively neutral place, and Tony had made sure that it was lit very carefully - not too bright, but welcoming even in the dark. The temperature should even be alright still, though it would cool off later in the night, and the moon was nearly full. Perhaps, if it was bright enough to walk with just its light, it would even be possible to turn off the artificial lighting and see the stars.

He couldn’t quite hide the uncomfortable rustle of his wings, and he noticed Steve’s own wings twitching in response. Still, they both remained silent until they were in the garden, slowly strolling down the path.

“So… what was it you wanted to talk about?” Steve asked, a concerned frown on his face and his wings twitching as though he wanted to unfold them. Knowing him, it was a protective response, wanting to cover Bucky until nothing could bother him anymore. Back in the beginning, he’d spent half the time with his bright wings reaching for Bucky.

Taking a deep breath, Bucky turned just a little so he could see Steve’s face. His wings were plastered to his back, mostly because he simply wasn’t sure what they would do if he were to relax them. “It’s… about Tony, actually,” he admitted.

Steve frowned, wings flaring just a little. “Did he do something?” he asked, deeply concerned, and that was just the problem, wasn’t it?

Unable to help his own frown, Bucky looked away briefly before focusing back on his friend. “Like what?” When Steve appeared speechless for a few moments, he continued. “I mean… I just don’t get what your problem with him is? What do you think he’s going to do that has you so worried about us having a relationship? He’s great, and amazing, and so incredible to me, but… I just don’t get why you don’t like him.”

For a few moments, it was silent. Then, Steve sighed. “I… It’s complicated,” he admitted.

When he didn’t continue after that, Bucky sighed as well. “Well, uncomplicate it then, please. Because it’s either unreasonable, in which case you should _really_ stop worrying and acting the way you are to him, or you know something I don’t.”

It took some effort to be quiet and wait Steve out, but it was obvious that he was struggling with what to say, how to say it, so Bucky kept his mouth shut as he waited for his friend to sort out his thoughts.

“Tony… I didn’t really have a good first impression of him. Or a second, I guess,” Steve finally started. “When they called me in on the Avengers Initiative, there were files on everyone, as well as some video materials. And there’s just a lot about Tony that… I mean, we ended up being able to work together just fine, but outside of all of the heroic stuff, it’s… we have difficulties with each other. And I worry about… well, about whether he cares about you, or whether it’s just some… ‘conquest’ of his. Something to play with until he’s tired.”

Bucky had to make a conscious effort not to flare his wings defensively. It was more likely to worsen the situation than help any, no matter how angry he might be.

“I don’t know what those files, or videos, said. But I do know _Tony_ ,” he insisted, very certain of that, “and I’m having trouble imagining anything in there is the truth if it’s got you acting like _this_.”

“Has he ever fully presented to you, Buck?”

The question startled him enough that he frowned, wings fluttering. “What?”

“Has he ever fully presented to you? Has he ever gone on a _proper_ courting flight with you, without the armor on? Because as far as I can tell, he hasn’t. In fact, the files said he never flies - he can’t be bothered with it. He’s got the ability to fly and he _doesn’t_. Not to mention that he wouldn’t even properly present to his _parents_. In all the time I’ve known him, he’s barely even presented halfway, not to _anyone_. He doesn’t seem to care about anyone, not really, and that worries me. Everything seems like a joke, something he brushes off, even when he should be serious about things. I just… I don’t trust him,” he finally confessed, softer than he had spoken before, but no less genuine for it.

For a few moments, Bucky was struck silent. Then, he shook his head. “Really, Steve?” he asked, unable to quite hide his disappointment.

Of course, that got Steve’s wings up more, and Bucky could see the stubborn set of his jaw. “He’s just... just going along his life, not caring about anyone else, doing whatever he wants. Are you really going to tell me that’s not something I should be worrying about?”

“If it were _true_ ,” Bucky stressed, “then sure. But it ain’t, Steve. Not at all.”

“How can you be so sure?” Steve asked him. “Maybe he’s just puttin’ on an act for you. Because the way he is with you, he sure never is with the rest of us.”

Torn between two possible reactions, Bucky went with laughing rather than slapping his friend over the head. “I sure as hell hope not,” he managed between chuckles. “ _Honestly_ , Steve, stop bein’ an idiot. It ever occur to you that he’s a lot different with you ‘cause you’re lookin’ down on him? ‘Cause I’ve seen him with Wanda and Vision, too. I’ve seen him with Banner, and Rhodes. But all’a you, you and Natasha and Clint and Sam, you’re lookin’ at him like he’s lesser somehow, like he’s no good even though he _is_. And honestly, if that was the way you were looking at me? I’d be keepin’ my own distance.”

“It’s just…” Steve huffed out a frustrated breath, wings twitching. “I mean, I get that people can change. I can’t look at Nat, at Clint, at _you_ , and not know that people can change. But he just doesn’t seem to care about anything.”

“Except he _does_ ,” Bucky insisted. “Trust me, he cares. But when things are too much, or when he’s not sure about the people he’s with, he deflects. He deflects like crazy to make sure no one sees how much he cares, ‘cause he’s learned a long time ago that caring is a _weakness_. He’s grown up in the spotlights, Stevie, rich and famous. One of the first things he’s learned is how to keep people from hurtin’ him as much as possible.”

That silenced his friend, who looked pensive as they kept walking. Bucky himself took the time to calm down a little - he’d known this wouldn’t be an easy conversation after all, considering he knew how Steve felt about Tony. Still, there was little use in starting a fight when he just wanted Steve to _understand_.

When Steve spoke again, he seemed a lot more contemplative about the subject. “That does make some sense, I guess.” Being Captain America had probably given him some perspective on that, at least. “I just… You _know_ how much I’ve always wanted to fly, way back. There were all these people with these gorgeous wings, and I was just stuck… _wanting_. And I just really, _really_ don’t get why people would ever choose _not_ to. I don’t _get_ it, and I don’t get _him_. And then there’s the fact that he puts exactly _no_ effort into presenting, no matter how much he’s supposed to care about someone, and I just don’t _get_ that.”

Quite honestly, Bucky had his suspicions about that. As much as Tony pretended not to care, pretended like nothing bothered him, Bucky had seen the slight grimace at his higher greetings. He wasn’t sure what it was, exactly, and he wasn’t going to ask Tony - if he wanted to tell, he would.

“What if I told you that you don’t need to?” he posited to Steve instead.

Startled confusion appeared on his friend’s face. “What?”

“You don’t need to get his choices. They’re his, and they’re not hurtin’ anyone. He does his own version of presenting when greeting, and those he’s close to are all fine with it. Hell, Vision doesn’t have wings at all, and Wanda’s matched her own greeting to his. Banner’s shy about his own wings and presenting, though Tony’s covers seem to have helped. Rhodes, even Miss Potts, they don’t mind at all. But you’re taking it as some kind of offense, instead of just accepting it as his choice. You’ve got your way, he’s got his. Why not just accept it?”

It was a relief to notice that Steve appeared to be thinking seriously about his question. “I mean, it mostly seemed like it was rude? But… You _are_ right that you all don’t seem to mind, and he seems a lot more relaxed with you. Because you accept it. I mean, I don’t get it, but… It might be that he was one of the first people I met in this time that was just so _different_ from everything that I was used to that it kind of left a bad impression?”

“That sounds likely,” Bucky agreed. “I mean, I ain’t saying he’s perfect. None of us are. But just… maybe give him a chance? See where it goes? Because right now it’s just… You’re suspicious of him, and that’s putting him on the defensive, and that’s making you even _more_ suspicious.”

They had known one another for years, and Bucky was very familiar with Steve’s less than perfect sides. Hell, the entire world was familiar with Steve’s stubbornness, even though they weren’t even close to aware of the extent of it. But beyond all of that, there was also a _kindness_ that was more than obvious, a willingness to see the good in people that Bucky hadn’t found in anyone else except Tony himself.

And honestly, he was glad to see a little more of _Stevie_ and little less of _Captain America_ when his friend nodded. “I’m not saying it’s gonna be better instantly, but… I _can_ promise that I’ll try.”

Already, that was more than he’d dared to hope for, all things considered. “Thank you,” he told his friend, smiling widely.

Steve, smiling as well, wrapped him up into a tight hug. His wings, gold and blue and white, moved to surround Bucky. He held his friend back just as tightly. He just _hoped_ that this would help, hoped that it would make his best friend and his… hopefully future mate less uncomfortable around one another.

He just wanted them to be able to see the people _he_ saw when he looked at them.

It was only a few days later when Tony joined him on the couch in the workshop, looking uncharacteristically hesitant. "What... Do you have any idea why Steve is acting... different?"

"I asked him to give you a chance."

The faint blush that appeared on Tony’s cheeks was one of the most amazing things Bucky had ever seen, and his shy smile was even better. “I… Thank you,” he ended up breathing out, leaning into Bucky, who curled his wings around the smaller male carefully. He always loved these times, where Tony showed that he trusted him and felt safe with him, and where Bucky finally felt at peace.

“Not a problem at all, sweetheart,” he assured Tony. “Just because he doesn’t understand why you do things, doesn’t mean he should be judging you for that. And maybe he just needed a reminder of that.”

Music was playing softly in the background, so there wasn’t a complete silence, and Bucky just breathed peacefully. Honestly, if they didn’t have a lot of other things to do (and if it weren’t for the fact that, most of the time, Tony’s brilliant mind was way too active to sit completely still for a long time - Bucky didn’t mind him bringing a tablet for their cuddles though, not if that made them last longer) he would’ve been alright with spending the entire afternoon like that.

Tony’s lack of restlessness was a bit odd, though. He _never_ managed more than fifteen minutes without starting to twitch, unless he’d fallen asleep, and his breathing told Bucky that he hadn’t.

“You alright, doll?” he finally asked, after nearly half an hour.

He could hear Tony swallow, though Bucky couldn’t help but feel grateful for the fact that he didn’t actually move away - if anything, he burrowed in even deeper, not looking at Bucky.

“There’s… I… There is something I should tell you… about my wings,” he finally spoke up, and Bucky couldn’t help but tense slightly.

“Sweetheart… Look, I know you don't fly with your wings, and you don’t present fully, and whatever reasons you have for that... they're _yours_. You don't owe me any explanations for that. You know that, right?"

Finally, Tony did look up at him, a trembling smile on his face. "And that's why I want to tell you," he assured Bucky. “You’ve never… You’re always accepting of me, even if you don’t understand, even if it’s inconvenient or something most people would consider rude. I mean, we’ve been courting, but I’ve never really presented to you the way I should, and I… We haven’t had a proper courting flight either, because I always use the Iron Man armor.”

Making sure to meet Tony’s eyes, Bucky smiled softly down at him. “And that’s your choice. It’s my choice whether I want to accept that when it comes to courting, and I _do_. So if you want to tell me, I’ll be happy to listen, but please don’t feel obligated.”

“I…” For a few moments, he could tell Tony was thinking about it carefully, before he looked up at Bucky again. “Yeah… I actually do want to tell you.”

“Then I’m honored, sweetheart,” he told Tony, leaning down for a chaste kiss that he hoped conveyed how much he cared about Tony. He could tell that, however much Tony might want to tell him, he was also nervous about it and used the kiss to get some much-needed strength, which Bucky was more than happy to give him.

And then he started, and… Well, Bucky had rather expected for it to not be the happiest of stories, but he felt the horror filling him nonetheless.

“It was… I was still pretty young - eleven, so my colors hadn’t come in yet and I was still learning how to fly, couldn’t do more than gliding yet, but I was getting there. And there were… I mean, Howard was pretty well-known, and obviously rich, so they thought if they kidnapped me, it would… get them money, I guess.” Tony shrunk in on himself a little, and Bucky held him carefully, wings curled tightly around him as if would be able to keep him safe even though they both knew it was years ago now. “Except he had a no-ransom policy. And when they threatened to break my wings… he stuck to it.”

Damn. Damn, Howard. “It’s… I mean, the best surgeons worked on me after, so it’s not… visible, or anything. Couldn’t have it show, after all. But the muscles… I physically can’t raise my wings more than horizontally, and even that much… hurts. I mean, the surgery for the arc reactor probably would’ve made it impossible to fly, but… even before that, I couldn’t.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Bucky breathed. He carefully controlled the urge to go out and _murder_ everyone ever involved in hurting Tony, aware that it wouldn’t improve anything (and he was years too late anyway). Instead, he just rocked Tony gently. He wasn’t crying, too used to controlling his emotions carefully, but it was more than obvious that recounting things was anything but easy for him. “I’m so sorry.”

It wasn’t pity - he rather thought Tony would have shoved him off instantly if there had been any pity - but there was _understanding_ , and so instead, Tony hugged him more tightly.

For the first time, Bucky truly realized how amazing the Iron Man armor must have been for Tony, not just from a heroic standpoint, but because he’d been able to _fly_ for the first time. If his colors hadn’t come in yet, that meant he’d still been working on strengthening his flight muscles, hadn’t even had his first flight. And Bucky remembered how he’d felt, after years upon years of being unable to fly, when Tony had created a way for him to finally feel that freedom again.

And he hoped he got this right, but… “Would you allow me to take you out for a flight?” he asked.

Tony looked up at him, confused (and perhaps a little hurt). “You…”

“After everything… You made it possible for me to fly again. And you made it possible for _yourself_ to fly. You’re… You’re the reason I’m able to fly. And I… I want to be there with you. In the air. _Free_ , because of _you_.” Then, realizing where the confusion came from, he rushed to assure Tony. “You in the armor, sweetheart. Because you created your own wings, just as surely as you created mine, and… I want to share that with you. If you want to, as well.”

It was, sappily speaking, as though the sun was coming through the clouds. “I would love to,” Tony replied, and Bucky understood. Because just as he wanted to be able to stand on his own, to make his own choices and to have people accept him both for what he could do and for what he _couldn’t_ , Tony wanted the exact same.

Soaring through the air, admiring the red and gold of the armor and the elated smile on Tony’s unarmored face, Bucky didn’t think he’d ever been happier.


	8. Epilogue - (Learn To) Live So Free

“Did you all want to go out for a flock flight?”

Breakfast had been a relatively quiet affair, everyone still waking up. Bucky was slouched on one of the chairs, happily nuzzling Tony as he drank his coffee. Everyone else was spread out across the kitchen, and Bucky wouldn’t deny that he was enjoying the feeling of contentment.

Steve’s question was unexpected, especially since they had never all gone out for a flight together. Bucky knew, from the stories, that the original Avengers had done so on occasion, but that had appeared to be in the past. Especially considering Sam, who had been there the longest out of all of the ‘new’ Avengers, also looked surprised.

“That sounds amazing, actually,” Wanda said, smiling and immediately looking far more awake than she had before. Her wings were already rustling behind her.

One by one, the others also agreed. Vision looked a bit hesitant at first, uncertainty obvious on his face. “Would I still be welcome to join, even though I have no wings?”

Everyone was quick to remind him that he was, of course, very welcome. Wings or no wings, he was part of the flock as well. It was nice to see the android smile, especially when Wanda assured him that, even if he hadn’t been able to fly, they’d have carried him to come along. Bruce assured him they had done the same for him before, when his wings still hadn’t allowed him to fly, and Steve told him it was about the flock, rather than how they flew.

Bucky, however, couldn’t help but focus on the way that Tony had tensed up in his lap. “As long as you don’t mind me taking the armor,” he told the rest, voice deceptively light. Despite the fact that Steve had been better lately, Bucky could only imagine that he was worried that he’d receive another judging look.

While it was tempting to look at Steve threateningly in order to make him behave, he wanted to give his friend a chance to stick to what he’d promised.

In the end, he was glad he had. Because despite the fact that he could tell that Steve still didn’t understand, would still prefer for Tony to join them without his armor, his friend nodded at Tony. “You’re part of the flock, too,” he assured Tony, and Bucky could _feel_ the tension rushing out of his partner, wings easing as well.

“Thank you.” He couldn’t see Tony’s face, the way he was seated in Bucky’s lap, but he could hear the genuine smile in his words, making him smile as well.

This was what he’d hoped for, after all - for everyone to be happy, and together, and for them to be able to accept one another even with their oddities and various personalities.

Bucky found himself unable to stop smiling as all of the Avengers walked out of the doors to one of the compound balconies together, chatting together happily as Clint, Vision and Wanda offered various routes for them to fly together that wouldn’t have them running into anyone else. Tony was holding his hand as he chatted with Steve about some uniform upgrade that he’d been working on for all of them - something about improved fabrics - and his friend was smiling gently down at the genius.

One by one, they launched themselves off the balcony and into the air, whooping and laughing. Finally, when it was just Bucky and Tony left, he smiled down at his partner. “You ready, sweetheart?”

“Always,” Tony replied, smiling back excitedly. The happiness on his face only made Bucky smile wider.

Stealing one little peck, he threw himself off the balcony, trusting Tony’s invention to keep him from falling. With a bark of laughter, Tony jumped after him, his helmet the only part of his armor missing and leaving his face visible for Bucky to see his gorgeous smile.

As they flew up to meet the others, Bucky found himself thinking he’d be more than happy to spend the rest of his days like this, with these people.

It felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would honestly like to thank the absolutely amazingly talented [Kurisu](https://kurisu-80.tumblr.com/) for the _gorgeous_ art in the interlude. It's honestly been an honor.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this story, written for the Iron Man Big Bang, and I'm super happy to be able to post it today in honor of Tony Stark's birthday!! Thank you all very much for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading, and feel free to check out my [Tumblr](https://eirlyssa.tumblr.com/) as well! I hope you're looking forward to the other chapters! <3


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